Unaccompanied children who do not or cannot access the child protection system in Türkiye often become engaged in child labor and find themselves living in precarity. This paper highlights narratives of survival within their culturally-assumed transition to manhood based on empirical research on the life experiences of 12 unaccompanied, male Afghan youth who came to Türkiye as unaccompanied children. These narratives reflect patriarchal culture, particularly the Taliban’s extreme manifestations of patriarchy, both in a context of war and violence. Unaccompanied Afghan children migrate for survival and, after dangerous journeys, live as irregular migrants. Their daily life is marked by (1) fear of police and deportation, (2) child labor, (3) long and challenging work routines, (4) lack of leisure time, schooling, adult protection or support and (5) lack of social security. As a result, they develop survival strategies to manage their precarious lives. Their narratives share commonalities focusing on the conditionalities of constructing manhood.

中文翻译：

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土耳其举目无亲的阿富汗青年的不稳定生活和生存策略

没有或无法进入土耳其儿童保护系统的无人陪伴儿童经常成为童工并发现自己生活在不稳定之中。本文基于对作为孤身儿童来到土耳其的 12 名无人陪伴的阿富汗男性青年的生活经历进行实证研究，重点介绍了他们在文化假定的向成年过渡过程中的生存叙事。这些叙述反映了父权文化，特别是塔利班在战争和暴力背景下的父权制极端表现。举目无亲的阿富汗儿童为了生存而迁徙，在经历了危险的旅程后，以非正规移民的身份生活。他们日常生活的特点是 (1) 对警察和驱逐出境的恐惧，(2) 童工，(3) 漫长而富有挑战性的工作惯例，(4) 缺乏闲暇时间、学校教育、成人保护或支持，以及 (5) 缺乏社会保障。因此，他们制定了生存策略来应对不稳定的生活。他们的叙述有一个共同点，即关注构建男子气概的条件。